Music Roundup: Mark Ronson Gets Down to Business

It's new music Tuesday here at Anglophenia and we're still reeling from the month's latest haul, which has seen fresh material from the likes of Manic Street Preachers, Robert Plant, James, Grinderman… the list goes on. This week is no exception and leading the pack is English-born producer and DJ Mark Ronson with this long-awaited third album, Record Collection.

Mark Ronson crafts a bombastic retro-pop set with his backing band, Business In'tl, for a stunning follow up to 2007's, Version. He also enlists an eclectic all-star cast of artists to help him out, including Boy George, D’Angelo, Q-Tip, Duran Duran, among others. Rose Elinor Dougall, formerly of the Brit girl group The Pipettes, joins him on three songs.

In an interview with The Metro, Ronson admits to having a Duran Duran lunchbox from the Arena era (SWEET!), his love of bikes (check "The Bike Song"), and calms some of those pesky Amy Winehouse rumors.

Check out the entertaining new video for Ronson's third single, "The Bike Song," (out today) where he (and his new, eye-catching blond quiff), Kyle Falconer of The View, and Spank Rock each embrace their inner BMX bandit in order to gain a little female attention. Oh wait for me, boys. I've got my pink Huffy 10-speed right here.

Mark Ronson & the Business Int'l – "The Bike Song"

Also out today: It seems that singer/songwriter Ben Folds and High Fidelity and About A Boy author Nick Hornby are musical buddies. The former Ben Folds Five frontman sets his signature pop/rock arrangements to the English novelist's ever-so-clever vocabulary for Lonely Avenue. It's beautiful match and one of the year's brightest collaborations, especially their homage to Bristol Palin's baby daddy on "Levi Johnston's Blues." CNN has more on Lonely Avenue and the duo's musical and personal bond.

The Charlatans UK celebrate 20 years as a band this year with their 11th studio effort, Who We Touch. It's nice to see that Tim Burgess & Co. can still match style for adventure when it comes to their refreshed psychedelic-tinged stylings, and the jubilant piano-driven "My Foolish Pride" leads the list of new singles out today.

Legendary new wavers Duran Duran also reveal the title of their forthcoming 13th album via their official site. Coming up is All You Need Is Now and "could be subject to change." Swooooon!

So what's the deal with all these "fake" rock stars on Twitter? I mean, what's the fun in that? There's a fake Nick Cave and a lame wannabe Jarvis Cocker. Funny enough, someone plays up Brett Anderson, aka the sultry frontman of '90s glam rockers Suede, pretty nicely. NME dives into this bizarre phenomenon and chats with the real Brett Anderson in the process.

The XX's Jamie Smith is readying the release of his first solo single says XFM UK. Relax, the Mercury Music Prize winning trio isn't breaking up. The song, "Far Nearer" is just a little something Smith cooked up in between breaks.

One to keep an eye on: The Domino StateLondon five-piece The Domino State recalls the ambitious spirit of early '80s U2 with a shimmering twist to alternative rock of yesteryear. Their impeccably crafted debut, Uneasy Lies the Crown, is chock-full of arena-sized riffs with the poignant and sometimes wistful melodies to match. Ignore the fact that guitarist Tim Buckland is brothers to Coldplay's Jonny Buckland and check out their chart-worthy Firefly" and the mesmerizing "We Must Not Shut Ourselves Away." You'll be a believer in an instant.